Ex-City Player - Malcolm Currie

Yes, I remember Malcolm. He was anything but rubbish! He was a very dependable defender, who played in several positions. I think he was primarily a full back, but I recall him also as a wing half and I'm sure he even played centre half on occasions. He was a really handy player for the club to have in those days, due to his versatility.

 

I think he was the regular right back until Tom Flockett arrived and then was mostly played as a half back. He never let the side down regardless of where he was asked to play.

 

I echo that. Watching him as a very young lad I always though he would win a 50/50, solid guy.

 

I remember Malcolm he played mainly as a centre half but switched to right back when Tom Flockett was injured. When Tom was back in the team Malcolm played alongside him as left fullback.

 

I certainly recall the name for sure, but couldn’t place a face .

 

I can remember the ones from that era, it's those players from 3 years ago I struggle with!

 

Unfortunately most of the more recent players (and seasons) are very forgettable.

 

I went to school with Peter, played football with him, went to Joinery college and we worked together for a while until he went to Australia. Met malcom many times as a kid and he did a bit of coaching at salts fc at one time. Also believe Bronco worked with him in an earlier life

 

Some cracking memories of Malcolm, both with regards football and personally,
Ask your friend if he remembers his days up Bradford Moor I believe they lived down Thornbury Grove/Avenue/Drive, Malcolm worked in the electricians shop at Crofts Engineers where I was an apprentice in the foundry, his mother worked at the chippy on the parade of shops a the top of Thornbury Grove.
Malcolm ran a football team that played in the West Yorkshire County Amature league out of the English Electric ground a big complex just off the roundabout at Thornbury it had Football pitches, Rugby pitches,Bowling Greens, Tennis courts and a 9 hole golf course with a great social club.
With working with Malcolm I used to give him stick about the FA Cup 5th round game against Burnley at Valley Parade, Burnley had a great team at that time but on the day we more than matched them, possible because the pitch was like a quagmire which Jimmy Mcllroy was quick to point out.
The Burnley team that day was full of quality players Adam Blacklaw, Jimmy Mcllroy, Ray Pointer, John Connelly etc, that Burnley team went on to win the old first division so it was a massive game for Bradford City.
I believe I'm correct in saying were winning 2 - 1 with seconds to go I think if I remember correctly (I'm sure @Tom Hallett, @King Cole, @Old Grey Fox @The Original EB or any of the other old timers will correct me if I'm wrong) the ball was near our the dead ball line and Malcolm was getting closed down by a Burnley player instead of whacking it into row Z he gave away a corner from which Burnley equalised, we went to Burnley three days later on the following Tuesday night and got stuffed 5 - 0, I never let him forget it.
So the first night of training he had me throwing up something shocking, but the funny thing was when I popped into the chippy that night on my way home his wife who knew me because of my connection with Bradford City asked how I'd gone on at training with a wry smile on her face she obviously knew Malcolm was going to put me through it.
A lovely approachable guy, as most players were back in the day.

 

In the fifties and early sixties I lived in Thornbury Avenue and remember seeing Malcolm walking past our garden on his way to Crofts. It would be unbelievable to see any of today's footballers walking to work like the players of that era did.

 

We lived up Roydstone Terrace, glad we don't live there now, just looked on Google Earth to check which Thornbury it was Malcolm lived in and what a sh1t hole it is now.

 

About a year ago I took a detour and drove around Bradford Moor, and Thornbury Avenue in particular, just to see if I recognised the place after all these years. Wow, it was like another world to the one I remember, and certainly not a better one. I don't think I'll be going back in a hurry!

 

My sister had a brief relationship with him. He was a steady and reliable defender

 

When was his time at Crofts Dave? I started in 71.

 

I left school at 15 and went striaght to Crofts as an apprentice in the apprentice school, that would be 1963, but I didn't fancy stood by a machine or at a work bench all my life so when they showed us around the complete works even Dudley Hill they said they had foundry apprenticeships available which I took and went into the foundry, with the foundry being next to both the fitters and electricians shop that's when I saw Malcolm and we talked about Bradford City and struck up a friendship, I imagine he would have been in his 30s then.

 

Thanks Dave. Like you I started as an apprentice and ended up being Production manager of a large Factory. Standing at the side of a machine in the early years was a “right of passage” . lol!

 

Yes, Broncs, I remember the Burnley game. The referee played an inordinate amount of additional time, during which Burnley equalised. Then City went up the other end and I think it was a corner from which Tom Flockett headed just over, with Blacklaw nowhere near it. After the match, there was conjecture that the Ref's watch had stopped and he only blew the final whistle when he realised. I went to the replay, when we were outclassed and I'm pretty sure Currie didn't feature in that game.